It was ranked alongside Russia, India and China as an emerging global economic powerhouse but now the pillaging of Brazil’s natural resources, corruption at the highest levels and a crippling drought is threatening that status

Letters Extra

Where are the priests' voices in the debate about clergy accountability?

24 July 2014

The current debate in your Letters pages about the actions of certain non-accountable parish priests is proving statistically interesting. After three weeks, the tally of published correspondents is: parishioners nine (of whom just one seemed to back a heavy-handed clerical style), clergy one.

In the light of this silence, dare it be hoped that we priests have been given something to think about, and are now engaging in a quite examination of our attitudes? That we are recalling how our ordination was a call to serve, and not a mandate to dominate and control? In fact, the issue is not that parish priests are not accountable, for we are. We are accountable to the people we are sent to serve. The issue, as your correspondents demonstrate, is that we are rarely held to account. The result is that good people, anointed at their baptism for royal service, prophetic witness and priestly representation of Jesus Chris to the world, either suffer in silence, or go away sad. Blaming our bishops for not intervening may enshrine some truth, but it rather misses the main point.

It is we priests – all of us – who need to hold ourselves to account by looking honestly at our attitudes in the light of the Gospel. The days when a parish priest was “pope in his own parish”, as the saying had it, should have long been consigned to the history books. Or if we wish to be popes in our own parishes, we should take to hear the words and deeds of our Holy Father Francis who – while in no way abdicating his responsibility – is setting an example of collaboration, consultation and listening – an example of “leadership from alongside” – and is asking his brother bishops and his priest to do the same.

Fr Martin J Clayton, Sheffield

Display by

Comments (1)

To post a comment, please log in or register. Registration is quick, easy and free and will enable you to add comments more quickly in future.

Thank you Fr Martin for your analysis. I fear that you are too right especially in respect of how easy it is for parishioners to switch off and slip away. Many years ago I was presented with a do unmentioned How to Evaluate the Distinctive Nature of a Catholic School. reading and reflecting on the questions in the book certainly influenced my leadership style. I wonder if there is any such book in respect of the distinctive Nature of the Catholic parish that is Fit for Mission?